


Why Steve Needs Food

by Static_Era



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Oneshot, Steve is kidnapped, This was supposed to be fluffier, Tony is sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 16:01:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4442132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Static_Era/pseuds/Static_Era
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve is kidnapped without a trace, Tony isn't sure what he can do to help. Little does he know, it's actually nothing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why Steve Needs Food

**Author's Note:**

> Don't own them! Just a one shot. Was supposed to be fluffier... enjoy!

Tony slid into the jacket, tightening his tie before stepping back and looking at himself in the mirror. Acceptable. Maybe.. maybe too blah? He saw that interesting colored suits were coming in, or at least funny pants or jacket colors. That wasn’t really his style. He only really wore color in his Iron Man suit. 

He made a few faces in the mirror before investigating his shave, making sure he looked cleaned up enough and not scruffy. 

There was a pinging noise overhead before Friday’s voice came on. “Sir, it’s Mrs. Potts.” She chimed. Tony merely waved a hand and heard the click of the phone being answered.

“Pepper, beautiful, light of my life, apple of my eye, what is this for again?” He asked, adjusting his sleeves and walking to grab his phone, checking it for the millionth time for any news from SHIELD. 

“It’s a benefit for a charity. Show up, take some pictures with some children-“ She was clearly in the car, noise being audible in his room.

“Whoa, children? Did I agree to children?” He didn’t mind children, just not twenty minutes before he was due to arrive. Nothing on his phone, sadly, so he just slipped it into his breast pocket and began moving towards his elevator. The phone followed him through each room. 

“You never agree to anything.” Pepper affectionately reminded him. “Don’t worry, you’ll take some pictures, then you’ll talk and eat and then there will be dancing. But the time it gets to dancing and mingling, children will be gone.” She soothed, Tony rubbing a hand over his face.

“Do I at least look half okay?” He asked, knowing how he looked. He’d managed to get a brush through his hair, and shaved and trimmed. He couldn’t hide the bags under his eyes from not sleeping, even though it had only been two nights so far. 

Pepper had a pause, he assumed for Friday to send a scan and Pepper to look at it. “You look fine. Tired."

“No news?” Tony asked, stepping out of the elevator to the main floor, walking briskly to the front door. 

“You’d know before we would.” She said, voice tinged with a bit of concern. “I wouldn’t worry though. Steve’s made it through much worse.” She promised.

Tony snorted in response, unable to keep a half grin from his face. “I don’t think anyone knows that better than me. See you in ten?” He didn’t wait for her answer, waving for the disconnect as he walked out the front door, slipping right into a car.

Steve had been kidnapped three nights ago. No one knew how or why, they just knew that the camera caught someone unknown on the new SHIELD base, and there was a flicker on the gym camera. A flicker, where Steve was standing there one moment, and then after the flicker he was gone. A screen-by-screen play revealed nothing. Natasha had even exhausted all of her resources until something new came up, so they were all reassuring each other by reminding themselves he was a super soldier. He was Captain America. If anyone could get themselves un-kidnapped, it was Captain America.

That hadn’t made Tony sleep any easier. In fact, it made everything worse. Their last conversation had been a little heated, which wasn’t unusual per se, but not how Tony wanted to leave things. 

Natasha kept trying to set Steve up with someone - anyone, really, and he kept pushing her away. Tony asked why, and Steve had directed the conversation to Tony’s failed relationship with Pepper and why he hadn’t been dating since their breakup. It was stupid, and all the more reason for it to upset him for having been his last conversation with his, let’s be real, best friend. 

Or more. He hadn’t dated anyone since Pepper for a very good reason, and that reason was Star Spangled Iceman himself. It happened unexpectedly and almost out of nowhere, but Tony had just noticed himself being unable to think about anything except Steve unless he focused specifically on anything but Steve. Pepper had caught on, and that was that. Since then, she’d had a successful relationship with Happy, and was now pregnant with their child after being married for two years.

Yeah. He hadn’t dated anyone in a while. To be fair, he was pretty sure Steve had gone on one date since being unfrozen, and probably no real ones before then. 

Tony had been mentally reviewing all the facts of Steve’s disappearance when the car pulled up. “Sir?” The driver asked, pulling Tony from his thoughts. “Better smile. You know you’ll be on the front page.” He advised with a smirk.

Tony chuckled, nodding. “Yeah. Thanks.” He put on his best smile as they opened the door, managing to keep his eyes open despite the onslaught of lights. He stepped out and buttoned his jacket, waving and smiling, waving and smiling. Questions were being hollered about why this was important to him and what his next charitable move would be, most of them very on topic. He answered none of them, smiling waving and signing things periodically. He posed for pictures on his way to the door, beginning up the steps when he heard one question they did pique his interest.

“What do you have to say about Captain America’s disappearance!?” She hollered. Tony froze, turning to look back at her, smile drifting off his face. Disappearance? Did they think Captain America just ran away?

Luckily, before he could answer there was a hand on his arm. Tony turned, taking a breath and relaxing. Pepper, in a sleek black dress in a vast attempt to conceal her baby bump.

“Thanks.” He said as she guided him inside, Pepper shaking her head affectionately. 

“We don’t need you snapping a reporter’s head off at a charity for children.” She advised, Tony nodding in agreement.

“I was doing fine.” He tried, though they both knew he wasn’t, a few moments more and a few choice scathing remarks would be decorating the front page instead of him looking pleasant. He escorted Pepper to her seat, pulling the chair out and letting her slide in before gently pushing it forward. “Where’s Happy?” He asked, sitting down next to her as he unbuttoned his jacket.

“You know he hates big entrances, he’s sneaking in the side door.” She said, glancing around for him. She spotted him, waving a hand and grinning brightly. “Isn’t he handsome?” She said, nose wrinkling with her happiness as Pepper had eyes only for him.

Tony chuckled, shaking his head. “Sure Pep. Whatever floats your boat. Wait, shouldn’t you be cranky and angry while pregnant? Or are you too much of that normally?” He joked.

The glare he was met with was enough of an answer, and he couldn’t help but grin. “You should be in meetings now.” She said, voice all but threatening to force him to sit through one.

As Happy made it over Tony rose and hugged the old friend, before sitting down. The tables filled up around them, Tony trying to ignore the weight of his phone in his breast pocket. It was on noise. No one had called, no one had texted. No one had any clues, and Steve hadn’t come back on his own.

Tony’s watch clicked exactly onto ‘6:00’ when someone stepped onto the stage, grinning and waving and approaching the mic. Time for his speech then. “Pep-“ He started, but before he could continue she handed notecards back over her shoulder. He smiled a little and took them, as always grateful to have her.

His speech went well, and for the first time in possibly forever he stuck mostly to the cards (Had he really just mentioned Happy’s Iron Man pajama pants? It was a wonder that man hadn’t killed him already). He was tired. Sure he’d stayed up for days on end working on some project in the lab. But this was something he couldn’t solve, and he couldn’t distract himself in the lab.

Tony took his seat to applause, smiling and waving and posing with cameras and thankfully there was no big check he had to hand to someone because those were just annoying.

During the next speech, it sounded like there were only two at least, he pulled out his phone. Clicking it to silence, he started texting Natasha.

Any word? Lead? Update of any sort?

Falcon and Vision are doing sweeps. We think they tore out his tracker, finally adjusted so we found a signal but it was a dead end.

Tony didn’t need to prompt for further explanation. If Natasha said it was a dead end, it was a dead end.

I can’t believe we lost America’s most precious artifact.

I’m telling him you said that.

Please do, just find him first.

Aren’t you at a benefit?

Tony snorted a little when he read that one, setting his phone down to clap appropriately for the last speaker. The host came up again, thanking them all one more time before calling for the food to be brought out, and within moments there was food sitting in front of him.

Tony responded with a picture of the food. What? People did it on social media all the time, he could send it to Natasha. Her response was perfect.

Chicken looks dry. 

Have we checked the footage of his room?

We’ve checked everything. He’s our leader, we’ve checked every possible trail.

You were right about the chicken. Tony hit send, before tucking his phone away after a glare from Pepper. He needed to be eating and socializing at the table. He ate another bite before his phone buzzed, and he tugged it out just to look at it.

I’m telling him you called him precious, not an artifact.

Tony furrowed his brows for a moment before he remembered, and all but thudded his head on the table for his slip-up. Natasha was too observant, there was no way she missed anything.

He managed to eat about half of his dry chicken before declaring he was stuffed, nudging his plate away. He kept his phone away, knowing Pepper would steal it and keep it until the end of the night if he pulled it out again instead of socializing.

Tony managed to be quite the pleasant conversationalist. Luckily for him, the people were genuinely interesting and interested in him for more than his being Iron Man. They talked about Pepper’s pregnancy and of course she glowed, which hopefully took some of the attention off the bags under his eyes. Luckily, no one had mentioned them. Soon the food was cleared away, and dessert was revealed all on a table, a help-yourself buffet style. Tony’s brow furrowed - that was strange for a benefit, but he was sure they wanted to get to the dancing, and for people to be able to move and chat. Mingling was a big thing at benefits, Tony assumed it was so people would donate more money to come again to see the same people. As if Tony made friends.

Okay, well he did eventually, but the last ones he’d made had actually become his family and lived in a tower with him. So making friends was rare but they became very close.

Pepper asked him to dance before he could awkwardly try to find someone, and he was so grateful to her for that. It took his mind off of many other things. After dancing with her he walked and talked to people about Stark Industries. Anytime someone mentioned ‘Avengers’ or the words ‘Captain’ or ‘America,’ even when not in reference to Steve, he found a reason to escape the conversation.

A few other people asked for this dance or that dance and he obliged them, for no more than one song and then he’d kiss their hand and wish them a spectacular evening. 

Time didn’t fly, but at least it didn’t drag on like the last three days had. One woman who danced with him was a reporter, and commented on how he froze up when another reporter outside mentioned Captain America. Tony tensed and stepped away from her, mid-song. He gave her hand a polite kiss. “Have a wonderful evening.” He said, terse and angry.

“Mr. Stark, I was just wondering-!” But he left her in the middle of the dance floor. He found Pepper with Happy, dancing gleefully, and tapped her shoulder.

“I need to get out of here.” He grumbled, smiling and waving at someone off in the distance. Pepper gave Happy a kiss and turned, smiling warmly at Tony and beginning to dance with him.

“It’s 10:30 now. Can you make it until 11:00? I think it would be more appropriate.” She said, staying close to Tony as they danced so they could speak quietly. 

This was why Tony loved Pepper. She didn’t ask, she didn’t push. She didn’t demand to know why or insist he was having fun, she just began a plan and asked him to wait half an hour. She didn’t push about information concerning Steve, like Tony did with literally every SHIELD agent in his phone.

“Only for you.” Tony said smiling. As they turned he kept an eye out for the questioning reporter. His phone buzzed, for the first time in three days without him having sent a text. He paused mid-step and missed a step, Pepper just almost stepping on his foot but catching herself quickly enough. She’d felt the buzz, and her eyebrows rose.

“11:00. At least wait until this song is over to check it.” She chided, her smile a little more forced. Tony nodded, catching back into the song in no time. His phone didn’t buzz again, so it couldn’t have been an emergency or related to Steve, or whoever it was would’ve kept texting or calling until he answered. They knew he wanted to be the first informed about anything that developed.

Okay, well maybe second to Natasha.

As the song ended he stepped away politely, tugging out his phone. He made it to the drink table, lifting a glass of champagne until he got his phone unlocked and pulled up the new text.

Here, roof

Wait, why was Natasha here? But at a second glance he read another name and his heart jumped to his throat. The ID said Capsicle. Either Steve was here and on the roof, or someone who wanted to kidnap him too knew exactly how to bait him and had Steve’s phone. He grabbed a second champagne glass and a freshly opened bottle from a server before they could pour it and he was gone. “Friday get me to the roof.” He said to his phone, and she immediately responded with directions up there.

He found the door and bumped it with his hip to open it, glancing around until he found a rock to block the door, before investigating the area. No one was there, and there was silence. So an ambush then?

“Tony?” A voice called softly, and the darkness shifted near the edge of the roof, Steve managed to stand and lean back against the ledge, a convenient wall that made it to Steve's hips. Perfect leaning height.

Tony’s heart did a lot of things. All of his organs did, really. Suddenly his stomach was floating up in his chest and his heart was clenched tight in an attempt to make it up through his throat. “Steve?” He all but choked his response, rushing over and setting the glasses and bottle on the edge, hands grabbed Steve’s upper arms. “Holy shit, you’re hurt, why aren’t you at the base or the tower or anywhere someone can heal you?” He asked, moving Steve’s arms and investigating all his injuries.

He had a bandage wrapped tightly around his left arm, bloody. He had holes burned through places on his shirt and a few that looked more like bullet holes. The skin under the charred pieces of fabric was still red and some of it still looked to be actually burned. He was still in gym shorts and his cotton workout tee, and Tony was so glad he had worked out in a cotton shirt that day. He was barefoot, and he only had one burn on his legs. Tony didn’t look at his back, moving his gaze upwards to Steve’s face, grabbing his chin and turning his head one way and then the other.

“What the hell happened? Why are you here?” He demanded, before muttering to himself about how ‘that black eyes going to get worse before it gets better,’ and ‘is that blood on your lip?’ but when his finger brushed against Steve’s lower lip the man caught Tony’s wrist, holding it.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He said, just holding Tony’s wrist and hand in the air, not dropping it or letting it go.

Tony’s heart shattered. Steve had been expecting a rescue, or at least some help as he escaped. He pulled his hand down and kicked one overpriced shoe on the ground, trying to look anywhere but Steve’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I wanted to be out there searching but Natasha said I’d be better looking over intel and Sam and Vision were searching-"

Steve had gotten a progressively more confused look on his face as Tony spoke, finally shaking his head and interrupting. “No, Tony, I wasn’t waiting for you to save me. I just… I hated how we left things. All I could think about was what would happen if I never got out there. They covered their tracks, I didn’t expect a rescue. Which also answers why I’m here first, I remembered you mentioning this benefit."

Tony just stared, slightly slack-jaw, at Steve. Tony had mentioned he had a stupid thing tonight, a week ago maybe. Not that it was a benefit or where it was or really anything. “You were so upset about our argument - which, reminder, we have like one a day anyways - that you skipped getting help for all of this to come find me? You haven’t even apologized! Why aren’t you healing? What happened?"

Steve smiled a little, one hand resting back against the ledge of the roof, while the other just dangled by his side. “I’m sorry. I don’t date because I’m pretty sure I've known who I want to be with since before Ultron. I'm just... Not sure how they feel. Mixed signals."

Tony clearly noticed how his other questions weren't answered, but was trying to focus on Steve's words instead of black eye and bloody lip. "Anyone would be an idiot to not like you. Except Nat. Is it Nat? Pretty sure she and Banner are completely and irrevocably a thing." Please not Nat. 

Steve snorted at that, laughing a little and shaking his head. "No. I'm not really sure if they're an idiot. Are you?" His eyes met Tony's meaningfully, and it still took Tony a rather long moment to catch on. 

To be fair it was phrased weirdly. It was like he was asking if Tony thought the person was an idiot, but Tony didn't know who it was, which was luckily the thought process he used to arrive at what Steve actually meant. "Am I- wait," he rose a hand. "Are you asking..." He stared at Steve, hand suspended forgotten in midair. "Am I an idiot?" He got out. 

Steve's eyebrows rose slightly, chin tilting down towards the ground in silent question. 

It took Tony another moment before he caught on that it was his move. "I brought champagne to... To celebrate your escape I guess. But now..." He dropped his hand finally as he looked at the champagne, before looking back to Steve, sliding his hand around the other man's. 

"Like I said. Anyone would be an idiot to not like you." Before he leaned into Steve, lips moving up to meet the super soldier's and suddenly he was kissing Captain America and surely there was a law against that somewhere or something but it felt so good that all Tony did was lean more into it, his free hand resting carefully on Steve's chest. 

Steve wrapped one arm around Tony's waist, pulling him close despite his injuries and tilting his head down to deepen the kiss. Tony was sure there were fireworks but maybe that was all in his head. His hand that held Steve's let go, tracing slowly up his arm until he hit the bandages. Tony pulled back from the kiss suddenly, keeping his body press against Steve's but asking his questions again. 

"Why aren't you healing? What happened?" He tried to sound like he was commanding Steve to answer him, but his voice sounded pretty love struck instead. 

Steve had a loving half smile on his face, and was handing Tony one of the champagne glasses as he took the other. He clinked them together, eyes locked onto Tony's the whole time. "I will heal, don't worry. I'll have to explain the whole thing to SHIELD, how about you just come with me?" He offered before downing his glass in one fell swoop. 

Tony rose an eyebrow as he took a sip of his own. "Champagne isn't a drink to be polished off so quickly." Steve chuckled, pulling himself up so he was sitting on the ledge as he poured himself a second drink. 

"I need this. Trust me." He said. After a pause, he used his legs to pull Tony closer to him once more, Tony leaning one arm on Steve's thigh. 

"So... That kissing thing. Can I do it whenever I want now?" Steve asked, swirling the champagne in his glass. This one took two drinks instead of one, and Tony finished off his first glass in an attempt to keep up. 

Tony laughed at the question, nodding. "I'd assume not during a battle, but yes, the kissing thing can happen anytime." To prove his point he leaned up, pressing his lips against Steve's once again. 

Steve smiled into the kiss, free arm wrapping around Tony's torso once more to keep him close. 

In the time it took Tony to finish his second glass, Steve had finished the bottle, and Tony looks aghast. "There's a lot of alcohol in there, you know." The tried to sound chastising, but that didn't really work. 

"Not as much as in the stuff Thor brings." Steve responded, setting his glass down next to the empty bottle and rising to his feet. Tony nodded in agreement. He'd had one sip of that stuff, once. That was all it took. 

"Come on. Let's get you back to SHIELD." Tony said before downing the last swig in his glass and setting it next to Steve's. He turned to head to the door, but Steve grabbed his hand and tugged him back into another kiss. 

Tony let out an exasperated noise but melted into the kiss just as he had into every single other kiss they'd had so far, wrapping his arms around Steve's waist. 

"Will you be my boyfriend?" Steve asked officially as they pulled away, and Tony laughed. He quickly realized his mistake at the hurt look that darkened over Steve's features, and nodded. 

"I thought we'd already kind of decided that. With the whole kissing anytime thing?" He asked to clarify, and made it clear he hadn't been laughing at Steve with another chaste kiss. 

"Well I just wanted to make sure.. You know, make it official and everything. That we're only seeing each other." He hinted, wanting to say 'going steady' but knowing Tony would make fun of his age of he did. 

Tony of course caught on all too quickly, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. "Say it."

"No please, Tony." He complained, cheeks flushing and Tony's grin only widening. 

"You have to say it." He pleaded despite his maniacal grin and Steve soon sighed and gave in. 

"Will you go steady with me." He mumbled, not even a question as he avoided Tony's eyes. 

Tony responded by catching Steve's chin, forcing him to look so they were eye to eye. "Steve I haven't even had a date since Pepper and I broke up because all I wanted to do was go steady with you. Yes." He finished with a kiss, Steve humming his pleasure at not being made fun of. "But you're a hundred years old. Also, maybe we should keep the press's nose out of this for now." Tony suggested. 

Steve rolled his eyes at the insult but nodded at Tony's suggestion. "Yeah. As if they don't swarm enough..."

"SHIELD!" Tony all but interrupted, smacking Steve's non-bloodied arm. "Come on, I've got a car." He tried to lead Steve to the door but was caught and tugged back again. 

"Pepper will know in a heartbeat if I walk through that door. I'm kind of trying to keep it on the down low that I'm back until I've been to SHIELD." Steve said. Tony groaned but nodded, and Steve instead led him down the fire escape. Tony had Friday send one of his less conscious cars to get them, the car pulling into the alley ten minutes later. They got in and took off, Steve closing his eyes in the passenger seat to take a nap while Tony stayed awake, the self-driving car getting them to the SHIELD base in almost record time. When they pulled up to the booth to get in, Tony told the man his name and to wake Natasha. The man responded with a laugh, as if Natasha wouldn't already be awake from a late night visit. To be fair, he was right. As soon as Tony pulled into the shared garage she was there, dressed and looking impatient. 

"Took you long enough." She chided them both, but hugged Steve in unsaid relief. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. I assume there's nothing pressing since you went and found this guy first." She gestured to Tony with a find smile. 

Steve answered by smiling at Tony, holding out his hand and taking Tony's before beginning to walk. Natasha looked more relieved at their holding hands than at Steve being returned safely, but didn't comment as she walked with them to the medical lab. "Why aren't you healing?" She asked and Steve finally gave an answer. 

"The made a drug that inhibits my abilities. That combined with the fact that I'm starving combine to make a much slower heal process." Natasha turned to ask a question but Steve rose a hand to stop her. "Don't worry, it's all gone. There's still some in me, I figure you'd want a blood sample to get it." Natasha nodded, but Tony blinked. 

"Wait, are you drunk then?" He asked. Natasha looked at them questioning my and Steve grinned, giving a nod. 

"A little." He answered honestly. Tony scoffed. 

"Could've fooled me." He grumbled, wishing he were that absolutely normal when he was drunk.

"You've been together, what, and hour, and Steve is already having to drink to make it through? You sound like a terrible boyfriend." She told Tony with an affectionate smile. Tony groaned as they walked into the medical lab, Natasha handing Tony a syringe. 

They dress blood and got his shirt off to look over the damage. Tony blushed despite the fact that Steve was still in his shorts. The medical team came over to prep him for the healing machine, but he waved them away. “I’ll be fine, I just need food.” No one really wanted to argue with Captain America about being able to heal him completely within the hour, so the set about unwrapping the bandages from around his arm. Tony gasped when he saw the damage - a huge chunk of meat had been carved out of his arm, almost down to the bone. Tony took two quick steps back and glared at Natasha, moving to Steve’s other arm to draw blood. 

“You didn’t tell me there was flesh still attached when they pulled out the beacon.” He seethed. Steve reached his free hand out to stroke Tony’s hand soothingly.

“Hey, I’m fine. No big deal.” And to his credit, he didn’t flinch even once as they cleaned the wound, working on setting it up for a quick and easy heal before bandaging it back up. 

“You’re the only person who would say ‘no bid deal’ to losing part of your arm.” He complained, finally getting the needle in Steve’s vein and drawing a little bit of blood. As he turned away he wound up face to face with Maria walking in, looking as she always did even at 1:00 am.

“Steve, glad to have you back.” She said, ignoring Tony completely. “Debriefing in half an hour?” 

“Only if there’s food.” He promised. She nodded and hit a few things on her tablet.

“Stark, you won’t be necessary here, we can take it from here-“ Maria started, not unkindly, but unknowing.

“I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for Tony.” Steve interrupted her as he helped them wrap the bandage tighter around his arm. “He’s coming too."

Maria looked between the two and gave a small smile, nodding before turning and exiting the medical lab.

They cleaned up Steve’s lip, and put some sort of burn cream on his burns though didn’t bandage them. He had gouges torn out of the back of his legs, as if someone had grabbed his legs and held with their nails and he’d pulled away. They cleaned those up and bandaged them, bringing Steve water to sip on while he waited. His mood was darkening by the moment without food, so he just kept his mouth shut unless Tony was there. When Tony was near him he at least managed to smile and sound slightly less hostile.

“Aren’t you tired?” He asked, reaching a hand out to take Tony’s hand as the medical people finally finished, moving away after offering him pain medicine. He’d waved them off. He just needed to eat and get antiserum out of his system.

Tony shrugged, having just finished trying to cover a yawn. “I’ll sleep after the debriefing. You still didn’t answer my questions.” He said, one finger prodding at Steve’s shoulder.

Steve stood, kissing Tony’s forehead. “There were more pressing matters to attend to.” He said with a small smile, Tony pausing before smiling himself.

“Come on you two. They’re analyzing your blood now to try and pull out the antiserum to replicate and study it. We’ll find an antidote for it, but like you said, it’s leaving your system pretty rapidly. We might be able to find out what kept it in your bloodstream so long."

“Oh, hourly injections.” Steve said, pointing at his bandaged arm. “They just stuck it around this spot for fun.” Natasha nodded.

“I’ll let them know that. Meet you two there.” She tossed over her shoulder as she headed back towards the other lab. Tony stared at Steve, open-mouthed. 

“They stabbed needles into the place where you were missing chunks of flesh?!” He demanded, feeling his stomach churning. Steve looked at him before smirking a little. It did sound rather gruesome in hindsight.

“Around it, yeah. Don’t worry, like I said, I’m fine.” He promised. Steve stroked one hand gently against Tony’s cheek before dropping it to grab the genius’s hand. “Come on. I’m starving.” He urged, before the two set off for the main debriefing room. 

As they walked in, Nick was the first to speak. “Thank all the gods for me that you two finally got your heads out of your asses.” He said, one eye turned meaningfully to their linked hands. Tony had half a mind to stick his tongue out at the good director, but refrained. Mostly because Steve all but dragged him to sit down where a small buffet had been laid out. “Dig in. We’re not hungry, it’s all yours."

Steve nodded, looking mostly to Maria as he said, “Thanks.” before he turned to Tony. “Hungry?” He asked.

Tony nodded in return, realizing now how long ago the dry chicken had been, and even then he’d only eaten part of it. They had one plate, but Steve put it in between them, letting Tony eat as he wanted. 

Steve explained everything to them as in depth as he could. The kidnapping itself felt about how it looked - one minute he was working off some steam, the next thing he knew he woke up with a bag over his head and his arm feeling like it was on fire. He hadn't been given food or water, and they kept asking him simple factual questions. Who was Iron Man, was Phil Coulson alive, questions that everyone knew the answer to. Steve said nothing to them, which gained him the bloody lip. 

They left him for a day, starving and dehydrated, nothing but the antiserum they injected into the rotting skin around his wound going in his system. His strength was sapped, and his metabolism was slowed, clinging onto anything in the antiserum for energy. The last day he was there they took the bag off his head for questioning. It was more simple answers, with more difficult ones thrown in. At one point one of them made a dig at Tony, insulting Iron Man in some way, and Steve spat on him. That was how he got the black eye, and his freedom. The man brought his fist around for a second punch and Steve ducked his head back just in time, grabbing the man's arm and apparently tearing out a chunk of skin. People came at him from all sides to subdue him with tranquilizers, but they overestimated their antiserum. He pretended to be down until they brought him down. He'd been suspended midair by his hands, feet attached to chains in the ground. The moment he was free he tore through them. They had left his cell open. He made it to a main computer room and got all the data he could before destroying the entire database and mainframe. They hit the self-destruct button themselves in an attempt to stop him, but he left before it worked. He made sure no one else left the base before it blew. 

Maria began scanning for reports of explosions last night, and quickly pulled one up. "Fort Carroll Island, sir." She said, and Nick turned a questioning eye to Steve. 

"How the hell did you make it from a deserted island near Baltimore to here in one day?" He asked, and Tony turned to Steve, eager to hear his answer. 

Steve shrugged. "I jogged." Tony let his mouth hang open for what he hoped would be the last time that day as Nick merely leveled Steve with a disbelieving look. 

"You jogged, barefoot and bleeding, from Baltimore to New York?" Before Steve could answer, Nick shook his head. "If anyone else told me that I wouldn't believe them. But you're probably the only fucker crazy enough to do it." To be fair, Steve had his mile down to almost three and a half minutes. It was at least possible. 

"Go get some sleep. Assuming you're done eating." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. 

"Thank you." Steve responded, rising and offering Tony his hand. Both men looked practically dead on their feet, Steve guiding Tony to his on-base room. He opened the door and slid in, just collapsing onto the bed, face down. He turned when he realized the door hadn’t shut, and saw Tony standing there awkwardly.

Steve didn’t even have the energy to sit up. “Do you need an invitation?” He asked, trying to keep the slight amount of grump out of his voice. He was finally fed, and the last few days were quickly catching up as his body began working on healing him. Most of the antiserum was gone, and his metabolism was cooking him again.

Tony glanced around the sparse little room. “I don’t.. I mean, I guess I should go to the tower.” He suggested, staying in the doorway.

Steve didn’t have the energy to argue, he didn’t have the drive to fight with Tony, but there was no way he was letting him go home along this late after all of this. He shifted his head, putting on the best ‘Captain America’ voice he could marry.

“Get in here. Now.” He said, before shuffling over to one side of the bed. Tony stepped in and shut the door, for once not arguing. He realized it was freezing in here, and one glance at the thermostat proved him wrong. Fifty-five degrees was way too cold, but once he changed into a pair of Steve’s sweatpants and crawled into bed with the Supersoldier, he understood.

“You’re like a furnace. You weren’t earlier.” He noted, unsure if Steve was even still awake.

“Antiserum. Told you. Needed food. Shhh.” He mumbled, asleep in moments.

The next afternoon, since they slept until 1, they woke up and showered and ate, before going back to the tower. Tony was sure that the team would be in a murderous rage at the fact that Tony hadn’t texted them all the second Steve showed up, and Steve nodding in wise agreement.

“I bet Clint already set a trap.” He commented, hand still clutched around’s Tony’s as they were driven to the tower. Tony groaned in response, letting his head fall back. Steve was almost completely healed - he was right, he’d just needed a little extra time and some food to jump his metabolism back into moving at it’s normal speed. His arm was still finishing healing, but his burns were healed, the claw marks on the backs of his legs were light scars, and his black eye was just a little bit of purple now. His lip was completely back to normal.

“I’ll go first, protect you.” He said with a wink and a grin. Tony laughed, shaking his head.

“I do not need protection!” He said despite laughing. It was a good idea, if he was being honest, but now he had to protect his dignity. He made sure when they arrived that he went in first, and immediately regretted it as he was pelted with Nerf guns.

“Ah, hey, whoa!” He said, trying to shield himself behind his arms - not Steve, he had dignity to uphold.

Okay, not much dignity. Not really enough for this, but eventually they ran out of tiny styrofoam Nerf darts, and instead he got a rather violent dry shampoo from Rhodey. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us you found Cap?!” He questioned, despite Tony’s protests of ‘ow ow ow ow,'

“Hey, I’m injured, stop!” He complained, and Clint snorted.

“Oh, did you get injured at your fancy gala?” He asked, moving over and clapping Steve affectionately on the shoulder. “Good to have you back. Rhodey my turn!” He moved to take over the beating up on Tony, but Steve grabbed Clint’s arm and pulled him back, laughing and moving to pull Tony into his arms.

“I think he’s had enough of your ‘punishment.’” He said, gesturing with one hand down to the darts on the ground. This time it was Sam who laughed.

“Better than the ‘punishment’ you’ve been giving him. Get injured from too many kisses, Tones? Poor baby.” He said jokingly, Tony snarling a little before just sighing.

“Seriously, Nat told you all already?” He groaned, but let himself lean a little against Steve as the truth was revealed.

“I’m relieved, honestly.” Steve said with a shrug. “I’m assuming she told you all the details of my kidnapping then?” He asked, and this time Wanda nodded and stepped forward.

“Yeah. Never thought I’d actually get to see Captain America with a black eye. Pretty interesting really..” She trailed off, stepping forward to look at it.

Tony smirked. “You should’ve seen it yesterday. Apparently this guy needs more food than initially expected.” He joked, though kept one hand on Steve’s hip even as he insulted him. Vision tilted his head, almost curiously.

“Of course he does. Initial expectations were almost nonexistent, as Captain Rogers was part of a test serum, though it is clear now that-“ He started, and Steve waved his hand to please make him stop.

“We know, Vision.” Tony said, laughing. “Speaking of food, he probably needs more."

“I think Bruce was cooking up a big lunch for everyone. Supposed we might have an Asgardian visit tonight - all the warriors instead of just Thor.” Natasha said, appearing as if from nowhere.

Tony laughed. “All the warriors? So we get to watch Clint try to hook up with Sif all night and see her shoot him down? Sign me up.” They all laughed except Clint, who reminded Tony that Steve could beat him up if he wanted to. At least Clint was a match for Sif, to which Tony just laughed.

Steve looked at them all, smirking. Maybe it wasn’t just Tony that drove him to do anything to get out. Maybe it was this entire zoo, these people - well, mostly people. This insanity - this family. Steve hadn’t had a family really since his mother died when he was a young teen. After that, it was just Bucky. But now he had this, and really, there wasn’t anything more he wanted.

And Bruce’s pasta salad, which he could smell as he walked closer to the kitchen. That was a necessity too.


End file.
